Celestia Protects
by Tanthachon25
Summary: Ponyhammer fic telling the tale of the Imperial Horns First Company during an orbital skirmish over the Iron Minotaurs stronghold of Malodrax, during Captain Lysaide's retribution campaign. Rated M for Blood and intense violence


The embarkation deck of the battle barge _Storm of Harmony_ was bathed in light and sound as the waiting craft were readied for launch. Munitions trolleys and fuel tankers streamed across the deck towards the waiting craft sitting on the launchways. Their hulls glistened bright yellow-gold, shining white-blue control surfaces flexing in preparation for flight. Serv-ponies hurried around each craft, making final checks and removing the safety tabs from the crafts' missiles. Four blunt-nosed Caestus rams sat on the launch catapults, their armoured bulk dwarfed by that of a trio of mighty thunderhawks, their giant turbofan/rocket hybrid engines steaming as their pilots carried out final checks. A bulkhead opened, and a techcorn of the Adepta Technaia scurried out of the way as the horseshoes of two hundred Adepta Equarasta clanged across the deckplates. They were a magnificent site, trotting purposely and heavily, every gleaming ton of ceramite audiable. The combined force of the Imperial Horns 1st and 2nd companies cantered slowly across the embarkation deck, squads distributing themselves alongside the waiting craft.

Lysaide Gemm, captain of the Imperial Horns 1st company, swished her purple mane out of her eyes, and rested the great power spear upright, one Dexterial hoof stopping it from clattering to the floor and cleaving the deckplates in two. It was the pride of the chapter's armoury, perfectly gilded, the hilt wrapped in white cloth to provide grip. Not that the combined force of the Dexterial gear wired into the forehooves of every Equarasta and her own magic wasn't enough to keep it in her grip. The company captain stood resolutely in her ancient Terminare armour, watching as her ponies loaded themselves up into the craft. She said nothing, as one of her sergeants, Jakorando Tail, known by some as 'The Comet' walked up to stand by her side. The sergeant of Fulcrum Squad and his near-legendary mace was renowned throughout the chapter, and his squad was the best of the best, First squad, first company.

"You know the plan." Gemm spoke, staring resolutely ahead. "Falchion and Hellebore are going in first via caestus, to secure the Lz for the thunderhawks, while Fulcrum and Exitas go after the warp engines and bridge respectively."

"What are we expecting enemy armour-wise?" Tail asked, glancing around the embarkation deck, assessing the forces that would be taking part in the boarding action. Lysaide glanced at him, a little humour showing in her eyes.

"They're Iron Minotaurs. **(1) **It's pretty much guaranteed there will be lots of it." She turned back, staring out through the cavernous shielded maw of the embarkation deck into space. "But I'm sure your squad will be perfectly able to handle that."

"And our armour?"

"See for yourself." Lysaide gestured to the roof of the deck, where a stormraven gunship was being manoeuvred into place above one of the launching tracks, the distinctive shape of a contemptor-pattern dreadnought clamped behind the transport compartment. The First Captain's hoof moved down to where a Techmareine was overseeing the loading of a pair of Rapier armoured carriers, anointing the barrels of their laser destroyers with oil. "I think you will be well prepared."

Gemm's vox link suddenly beeped for an incoming transmission. The ID that the command retina gave her was that of the master helmsman up in the _Storm of Harmony_'s bridge. "Captain, Enemy cruiser is in range and our guns are priming. Recommend launching on the heels of the first volley."

"Copy that," Lysaide engaged the wide link vox, now speaking to the entirety of the space mareines on the embarkation deck. "All units, this is Gemm, we are launching on the first gun volley, so find your transports and brace for take-off." She paused. "And get a bloody move on!"

"One more thing Captain," The helmsman was back in her ear.

"Yes?"

"Try to stay alive"

Lysaide grinned. She used her magic to unclip her helm from her belt, locking it into place with a hiss. She'd need her armour to be completely airtight. She turned to her first sergeant.

"Good luck."

"Same to you."

The two exchanged one last nod, before breaking off to their separate transport. Lysaide trotted along the deck, her hooves ringing against the steel like hammer blows on an anvil. Rounding the bullish snout of a Caestus ram, she swung herself inside one of the hull booms, slamming the door control lever down as she entered.

"Fulcrum, brace for launch!" Lysaide manoeuvred herself into position inside the hull of the craft, her hooves finding magnetic braces in the floor, which slid up around her armoured greaves, locking her into place, acting as braces for the impact of boarding. A similar set of magnetic clamps emerged from the wall, engaging with her armoured flanks for added impact resistance. "We're landing hot, so weapons free right from the go! We go after the bridge, make sure armour is sealed, we _will_ be fighting in vacuo, so make sure to stay frosty. _Harmony_ will be pounding the ship even when we're in, and IU don't want to lose anypony to friendly fire today!" She grinned. It was always satisfying to shout orders at ponies.

"This is Caestus Ram _Arcane Lance_, launching imminent" The pilot's voice buzzed in her ear.

"Copy that." Lysaide thought for a moment, then added to that comment. "Pilot, if you get us killed, you're going on probation." The pilot gave a dry chuckle.

"Duly noted. Launching in T-5…4…3…2…1

A younger Lysaide might've braced for the launch, but she'd got a lot of experience in boarding actions recently. The sudden application of four extra gs didn't trouble her as the Caestus' engines kicked into life with colossal force, catapulting it along the launching rail and out into space. Flicking along through her HUD options, Lysaide found the Caestus' exterior monitor feeds, and watched the arrowhead of craft swing round and streak along the hull of the mighty barge to the prow's torpedo tubes, before holding steady around the huge launchers.

"Boarding party, launching cover barrage now." The Helmsman's voice spoke in her, and those of all the pilots ear. Lysaide watched as the tubes shuddered, disgorging their deadly payload in a storm of solid boosters. The salvo of torpedos streaked towards their targets, and the boarding craft followed, thrusters on full just to keep up with them.

Lysaide saw their target vessel in the inky distance; a colossal monster of brazen brass, warp tempered steel and hissing steam, far larger than the _Storm of Harmony_. The prow was a solid wedge, a huge horned skull Icon wrought onto the adamantium plating. The cam's signum was displaying the closing distance between the craft and its target. As the ram neared, the torpedoes in front of them started to outrun them, as the formation of craft retrofired as one, slowing them to a near standstill.

"All craft, hold position until detonation." The pilot's voice was back in her ear. Lysaide watched as the torpedoes streaked towards the starship, launching payloads of anti-countermeasure packages, scattering the inky blackness with chaff, flak and electronic disruption. Without even acknowledging the torpedoes' presence, missile batteries on their target's flanks opened up with a barrage of antiballistic missiles that streaked towards the torpedoes. Lysaide saw the missiles streaking through space, dazzling explosions blotching the vid-feed as the missiles detonated, hitting home on…nothing. Lysaide saw the torpedoes blast out through the conjoining fireballs, banking round onto their approach vectors.

"All craft, commence approach on full thrust." The pilot barked, and Lysaide felt the Caestus kick forward as its afterburners and short-fire boosters engaged. The terminares inside the ram would've been catapulted backwards had it not been for the restraints clamping them in place. Lysaide caught a last glimpse of the torpedoes before they struck home, the reinforced diamantine tips punching through the ships outer hull and burrowing inside, detonating a millisecond later. The explosions tore through the hull, vaporising most of the port macro-cannon batteries and shredding the vessel's armour, gutting the weaker inner decks and sending the mighty ship reeling, half its port side gouged out. The explosions ignited the leaking oxygen and fuel, creating a colossal firestorm in the aether that rippled along the hull of the ship. Lysaide felt the craft accelerate further, the ram shooting into the dissipating ball of fire where one of the torpedoes had struck near the bridge. She got a split-second view of the inside of the ship, collapsed decks, sealed bulkheads, fire and slag, before she was almost thrown forwards as the Caestus crashed into the hull, the layers of plasteel and adamantium buckling like tinfoil under the craft's twin hull booms. The Caestus' momentum carried it several yards through the hull before slewing to a halt in a smashed munitions chamber.

"This is Arcane Lance to squad Exitas, firing magna melta in 5, blowing hatches in 8."

"Copy that!" Lysaide punched the bracing's release button, and the clamps fell away from her. "Fulcrum, prime weapons, DZ is scorching."

"Literally." One of the Terminares, a bulky stallion carrying a saddle-mount cyclone missile launcher, sniggered, as a roar of vaporising matter issued from outside.

"Blowing hatches." The pilot's voice echoed in her helm, and a millisecond later, the craft's twin assault hatches swung down with a clang, and Lysaide charged into the fires of war.

**(1) The Ponyhammer equivalents of the Iron Warriors. Iron Will makes a good Peturbaro.**

**Well, I hoped you enjoyed that. More to come, I assure you!**


End file.
